FLOW3 is a next-generation web development framework created in PHP5. Fluid is FLOW3's new templating engine. Both are backed by the TYPO3 association and one of the world's largest PHP communities.

FLOW3 is the TYPO3 project's next-generation PHP-based development framework.

FLOW3 is a powerful PHP framework that aims to significantly reduce the amount of time that developers spend implementing infrastructure in their code in order to allow them to truly focus on the client's business logic. The TYPO3 Association has sponsored development of FLOW3 since its inception. FLOW3 has been created to serve as the underlying framework for TYPO3 version 5.0, which is still under development.

FLOW3 is built around advanced development principles and concepts that are just now being incorporated into competing frameworks.

FLOW3 contains a number of core features and concepts that are lacking in most other current web development frameworks. Moreover, FLOW3 is built to encourage developers to focus solely on the client's domain. In layman's terms, this means that the developer focuses only on the problems specific to a client's business, instead of external technical concerns. As a result, developers are free to spend their time listening to client's needs.

FLOW3 includes dependency injection, aspect-oriented programming, the MVC design pattern, a reflection API, and much more.

Moreover, FLOW3 contains functionality that is at the cutting edge of web development:

• Integrated object manager with dependency injection
• AOP framework allowing developers to write secure applications using aspect-oriented-programming techniques
• A MVC framework that handles incoming requests from multiple sources and enforces separation of presentation logic and business logic
• A Persistence framework that automates the process of persisting data within the application
• Increased security with FLOW3's validation module, which is capable of validating entire objects
• A package manager that allows developers to encapsulate code in distinct namespaces
• A Reflection API allowing developers to take advantage of the framework through code annotations

FLOW3 is still beta, but is stable and is being used for TYPO3 V5.

FLOW3 is currently in beta status, but is ready for use in production on some projects. We strongly believe that the concepts and practices encapsulated in FLOW3 are representative of the best work being done in the PHP community, and encourage clients to consider it for projects requiring a completely modern PHP framework.